Pig Town Party

by Lian Cho, Lian Cho (Illustrator)

Overview

"Absurdly funny."—Kirkus Reviews

Author-illustrator Lian Cho delivers a rib-tickling picture book about a young girl who receives a mysterious invite to a Pig Town party and follows the trail into a secret world of pigs—where epic parties, chase scenes, and a cake heist soon unfold. Hilarious twists abound!

When a mysterious invite addressed to “Cutie” arrives in the mail, a young girl follows the mailman through the hedges and discovers a dazzling, secret world of . . . pigs. 

Pigs on bikes. Pigs in bakeries. Pigs on their way to a mansion. 

Cutie goes to the address on her invite and is welcomed into an epic party of pigs dressed in every costume imaginable. And they love her human costume the most. Cutie realizes their mistake, and she is definitely going to set the record straight. After all, lying is wrong. But being flattered is also loads of fun. And maybe a little distracting. So when they call Cutie’s name to award her for best costume, she doesn’t realize another pig is storming up to the stage…and this pig looks angry. Author-illustrator Lian Cho delivers a hilarious tale filled with chase scenes and cake heists in a wildly imagined world.  

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063237513
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/29/2024
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	535,117
Product dimensions:	11.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Lian Cho is the author and illustrator of many goofy books. She was born in Taiwan and spent a large part of her childhood in New Zealand. Lian now works out of her Brooklyn studio, where she spends her days covered in paints and drinking far too much tea. In her spare time, she likes to make funny comics and bake copious amounts of banana bread. 

Lian Cho is the author and illustrator of many goofy books. She was born in Taiwan and spent a large part of her childhood in New Zealand. Lian now works out of her Brooklyn studio, where she spends her days covered in paints and drinking far too much tea. In her spare time, she likes to make funny comics and bake copious amounts of banana bread. 

Editorial Reviews

★ 07/15/2024

Cho (Oh, Olive!) expertly concocts a sharply funny rabbit-hole story with a dash of The Twilight Zone. When a mysterious invitation addressed to “Cutie” slides through the mail slot, requesting attendance at the annual Pig Town Party, the pigtailed human child on the receiving end is confused, flattered, and intrigued. “Last time I checked,” states the pink-skinned, dot-eyed narrating youth, “I was indeed a cutie, but I was not a pig.” As intrepid as they are confident, the child discovers, beyond a huge hedge, a mirror-image town that’s populated by porcine inhabitants. The party itself is Gatsby-like in its lavishness: gouache and colored pencil illustrations show a glowing mansion with a grand staircase and costumed piggy guests all competing in a lavish masquerade whose prize is an elaborate, multitiered pink cake. The child admits to the reader that “of course, lying is very bad,” but stays mum when called Cutie until they’re voted the most creatively costumed pig of all—and denounced by an angry pig in an identical outfit. Exit kid and cake, pursued by pigs, but the triumph of a successful return is short-lived when the wily youth receives a fittingly funny comeuppance in this pleasingly madcap work. Human background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"If you have ever, or never, been invited to a Pig Town Party, this book is for you! Always beware of unexpected pig invitations." — Jon Scieszka, National Ambassador of Young People's Literature and Pig Expert

“To hold this book is to hold an invitation to the party of the year. I had an unforgettable time.” — Shawn Harris, Caldecott Honoree of Have You Ever Seen a Flower?

"Absurdly funny." — Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2024-07-19
A girl receives a mysterious letter.

“Dear Cutie: You are invited to the annual Pig Town Party,” reads the invitation that floats through the narrator’s mail slot. The child, tan-skinned with triangular black pigtails, a cartoonishly square jaw, and dots for eyes, agrees that she is a cutie, but she has many questions, not the least of which is, “Where is Pig Town?” The porcine mail carrier whom she asks for directions darts through a hole in a hedge, and when the girl follows, she ends up in a town populated entirely by anthropomorphic pigs. When the child finds the eponymous party in full swing, all the pigs seem to be in costume. What’s more, pigs keep complimenting her costume, even though she isn’t wearing one, just her regular blue dress. When Cutie is announced as the winner of the costume contest, the child wonders if there’s been a mistake. That’s when the real Cutie, a pig wearing an identical blue dress, appears and demands her rightful prize, a huge chocolate cake; this has all been a case of mistaken identity. But the child refuses to back down. Marked by droll humor in both the text and the images, this farcical tale stars a protagonist with outsize expressions and a big personality. The satisfying resolution sees the mischievous youngster get her just deserts.

Absurdly funny.(Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews